Bitcoin Core version 25.0 has been released, bringing new features, bug fixes and software performance improvements. Users can download the latest version from the official Bitcoin Core website or update their existing installations. The release notes outline the changes and provide instructions on how to upgrade.
A notable change is the allowance of transactions of non-witness size of 65 bytes and above, which opens up new use cases and improves protections against vulnerabilities such as CVE-2017- 12842. Another addition is scanblocks RPC, which allows for fast rescanning of the wallet by returning relevant blockhashes from a set of descriptors.
In terms of RPC updates, all JSON-RPC methods now accept a new named parameter called “args” for passing positional parameter values easily. In addition, the verifychain RPC now returns false if checks do not complete to the desired depth and level, providing more accurate feedback.
The release also includes changes to the build system, updated settings and new features. For example, the shutdownnotify option allows users to specify a command to be executed before Bitcoin Core begins its shutdown sequence. In the wallet section, new options such as minconf and maxconf have been added to various RPCs, providing more control over UTXO confirmations.
Bitcoin Core 25.0 introduces many improvements and optimizations, which improve the user experience and security of the software. As with any release, users are encouraged to report any bugs they encounter on GitHub’s official issue tracker.
Bitcoin Core is widely supported and tested on major operating systems such as Linux, macOS, and Windows. However, it is not recommended to use Bitcoin Core on unsupported systems. Users should ensure that they are running a compatible operating system before upgrading to the latest version. Additionally, users are encouraged to review the release notes for a detailed understanding of the improvements in this version when upgrading.
